NEW DELHI: A day after finance minister Arun Jaitley pressed for expediting construction of alternative routes between Delhi and Gurgaon to decongest the expressway, his Cabinet colleague Nitin Gadkari on Tuesday said a proposal to build a new six-lane bypass road, originating from the Delhi-Gurgaon border on NH-8 and terminating near the NSG campus on the highway in Manesar, would be expedited.

The National Highways Authority of India has planned a link between Ring Road (close to R K Puram) and MG Road in Gurgaon via Nelson Mandela Road. A junction has been proposed on MG Road where both the bypass for NH-8 and the new link from Ring Road will join, an official said. "The stretch between Ring Road and Nelson Mandela Road will be elevated," the official added.

Admitting that fixing chokepoints on NH-8 was a tough task, Gadkari said the bypass between Delhi-Gurgaon border and Manesar will help decongest traffic. "The chief minister has assured me of sharing 50% cost of land acquisition for this project. We will start work soon. When I say soon, I mean by this year-end," he said while speaking at the Happening Haryana summit.

The bypass has significance since nearly 75-80% traffic coming from Delhi get off the expressway in Gurgaon itself. This 28-30 km bypass will pass through areas that are getting more real estate projects and industrial units, and will also join the Gurgaon-Alwar Road. "Once this road comes up, it will work as an alternative and the traffic load on existing stretch between in Gurgaon will reduce," said an NHAI official. Junior defence minister Rao Inderjit Singh termed NH-8 a "tired highway" and sought the government's quick intervention.

Gadkari also announced start of work in improving three junctions - Rajiv, Signature and IFFCO chowks - by May 1. These crossings have become traffic nightmares.

Moreover, the highways minister announced the Dwarka Expressway would soon become a national highway following a request made by Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar.

Sources said Haryana wanted this since the project, which is at an advanced stage, is stuck due to non-availability of merely 1,400 metres on Delhi side. Once the Centre takes it over, it will be easier to get the required land to complete the project.